Love Divine
by aka.MirandaMeryl
Summary: You can not avoid your destiny...


DWP is not mine, neither are any of the characters. I'm just borrowing them for a little while. I promise to return them safe and sound. I might have manipulated some parts from the movie to fit my desires…just to, bluntly, make it work.

I had help with the plot from lilacmermaid on Live Journal so this one is dedicated to her.

Hope everyone enjoys it.

A/N: Memories begin and end with a '~' symbol.

Different Scenes are divided by '~~*~~*~~*~~'.

Thoughts are _italicized_.

Just so we're all on the same page here. Haha

Oh, note, smut ensues. It is a Mirandy fic after all.

Also, another note, it has religious undertones, so if you're not comfortable with this or are offended, please no not read. Thank you, and That's All.

* * *

Miranda woke up on this beautiful Monday morning. She sat up in the bed and let out a yawn as she stretched upward, tracing her hands around her neck then bringing her arms up into the air and clasping her hands together above her head, in a monumental stretch. She threw the covers back and stepped out of bed, retrieving her phone from the nightstand as she walked by it. She had received a new text from Emily saying HR sent a new assistant and would be ready for her approval. It was a new day, and there was one less incompetent assistant waiting for her at the office.

"_Hopefully this one can actually manage to get _hot_ coffee without being a complete imbecile._" Miranda remembered the previous assistant's last day fairly well…

~Miranda walked in her office and took a big sip of her coffee. It took all she had not to spew the cold coffee everywhere. "Ugh! _Why _is my coffee _cold_? I want _hot_ Starbucks_ now_!"

The incompetent assistant absentmindedly asked "Y-your coffee's cold?"

"Don't play dumb, with you that could turn the universe upside down." Miranda gave the infamous look and rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me?" The confused assistant quirked an eyebrow.

"She means you're a total idiot." Emily quickly answered.

"I don't need anyone to explain what I mean, Emily." Miranda darted a gaze at Emily and returned to her office.

Emily looked over at the editor's office before trotting over to the assistant's desk. "I just saved your ass in the expense of mine. You never ask Miranda anything and you never talk back."

"But I wasn't talking back…"

"You talked back to her didn't you?"

"Well, I guess. If you want to think of it like that..."

"Well, don't do it unless it's to say 'Yes, Miranda'. Understood?" Emily's wide eyes looked over the assistant and met fearful confused, just as wide, eyes.

"Yea. I-I mean, yes." The assistant looked down at the ground and then to the editor's open doorway.

"Good." Emily leans in close to the girl and whispered. "Now go get her coffee before she explodes and we all melt from the acidic Miranda bits that fall down on us…" _Why do I always have to tell these new assistants to never ask Miranda anything?_ She thought to herself as she walked back to her desk.

As the new assistant walked away she mumbled to herself, "I hope she's not going to be that melodramatic all the damn time." And looked back over her shoulder to the shaking red hair and then over to the gracefully swishing platinum hair that moved to expose bright, ice blue eyes which were clearly caffeine deprived and angry. She hastened her pace to the elevator almost tripping over, what seemed, thin air.~

Miranda chuckled to herself at the memory as she closed her phone and placed it in her purse and walked out of her bedroom to begin to get ready for work. "Apparently, they still don't think I can hear everything they say." A smirk still gracing her face as she entered her shower. When she returned to her bedroom, she took the clothes she had set out the previous night and began to dress. Two short knocks echoed in the bedroom.

"Mom, Are you dressed?" One of the twins, sounding like Cassidy, asked imploringly of her mother.

"Yes, Bobbsie, what is it you need darling?" Miranda had just slipped on the second sleeve of her jacket as she answered.

"Dad's here." Cassidy responded in a joyful tone that shot Miranda in the heart.

"Oh, ok. I'll be right down, baby."

"Mom, I'm _not_ a baby." The 12 year old twin firmly noted to her mother.

"I know sweetheart, but mommy still likes to believe you're both her babies." Motherly love drifted through her words.

"Alright, we'll be downstairs." The tone of sarcasm was gone, and endearment replaced it.

Miranda hurried down the stairs, kissed the twins goodbye for the weekend, and went out the door without eating a single bite of breakfast knowing she had an 11 o'clock lunch with Irv and a few other meetings that would serve refreshments.

But what Miranda didn't know, was that this day was going to be the beginning of something that would both terrify her and give her more pleasure than she'd ever known before.

~~*~~*~~*~~

Miranda was riding in her car talking to Emily on the phone about her schedule.

Roy overheard Miranda talking about a new assistant. When Miranda closed her phone and let out an exasperated sigh, Roy called over his shoulder to the, seemingly always, frustrated editor.

"I'm sorry for eavesdropping, Miranda, but I hear you have a new assistant?"

"Yes, Roy, I do." Miranda closed her eyes and raised her eyebrows.

"I hope this one is better than the last one. It didn't look like she could handle this line of work." Roy looked in the rear view mirror and met fierce blue eyes, and quickly looked away. _I just hope this new one can handle both the job _and_ you._

~~*~~*~~*~~

Miranda had walked in and noticed a new person there.

"Who's that?" Miranda asked without hesitation after rambling off a list for Emily.

"Um, this is the person that applied for your assistant job." Emily told her in a slightly scared way.

Miranda walked in her office and sat in her chair, waiting for what would undoubtedly be another incompetent assistant.

But then _she_ came walking through those office doors.

_She's walking into _my_ office looking like a complete fashion mess, small amount of confidence until I totally destroyed it. But that look of dismay on her face is...attractive? No. It's just that people's misery delights me…yes. That's it._

_My god, she has such a beautiful voice. What is she saying? Something about good work ethic? _

_Hmm…I wonder what kind of body she has. She looks like a size six...I'd like to see that ass in a pair of tight Calvin Klein's…_

_Shit._

"That's all." _God, I need another coffee. I'm getting delusional._

As Andy walked out of the editor's office, Miranda called out to Emily in a hurried demanding tone, "Emily, more Starbucks. That's all." Then, she opened her drawer to reveal a rosary with genuine onyx beads and a sterling silver crucifix pendant and held it in her hands as she bent over at the waist, still sitting in her chair, and rested her head on her hands clasped in prayer.

~~*~~*~~*~~

A few days later, Andy had failed to get Miranda home in time for her twins' recital.

Nigel reached for the door to Miranda's office, but as he lifted his arm, the door swung wide open and a crying Andy ran past him.

"Who was that?" Nigel asked still looking after the girl running from the lobby.

"That's my new assistant, Andrea." The editor said with not as much coldness as she would have desired.

"Oh. So that's her…I saw how you looked at her." Then Nigel gave a sly smirk to the editor and got a severe glare back. "Look, Miranda. I know how you feel about that, being…"

"How could you ever know how I feel about this?" Miranda snapped really without meaning to; never apologizing, she just simply sighed and gave a strained "sorry" look back at the man.

"I was going to say, I knew how you felt about that seeing as you're Catholic and all, but…" Nigel held up his hands and tilted his head to the side. "…no worries. Guess it wasn't my place to put my two cents…Anyways, here's the recent editing of the layouts for…"

For a split second, Nigel's voice drifted away and Miranda was caught up in her own thoughts. _Was it really that obvious? Of course not, Miranda, he was just messing around with you. Well, either way, I simply can not go down that road._

Nigel's voice shook her from her thoughts.

"Miranda, the layout?" Nigel cast a weary look at Miranda. She had been staring at her glass of water.

"Right." She went into full editor-mode. "I don't like that color. That model is off center. My god, Nigel, you can't even see the shoes in this photo…"

As Miranda rambled on about all things wrong with the layouts and marking them with a sticky note, Nigel nodded and added a "hmm" and an "ahh" when he thought necessary, but for the most part, he kept a close eye on the editor and watched her.

Just then, it all became clear to Nigel. The reason Andy was still there even after so many rumored mess ups, the way Miranda looked at her and even the way she said her name; an idea popped into his head. Miranda might kill him or worse, fire and blacklist him, but it was so going to be worth it.

~~*~~*~~*~~

Nigel returns to his office to find Andy there.

"Hello?" Nigel slowly walked closer to the shivering body at his art table.

The young assistant jumped and turned around. "Oh! I'm sorry; I didn't realize I wasn't alone."

"Well you were, but this is my office, so you're not anymore." Nigel noted to Andy as he walked around to the corner of his office and took out some of his projects and placed them on the table. He pulled up a stool for himself and sat.

"I'm sorry, I-I'll leave." Andy sniffles.

"No, you're alright. You can stay if you'd like. I'm Nigel." He extends his hand and Andy shyly takes it. "So, you're Miranda's new assistant right?"

"Yes, and I'm Andrea, but everyone calls me Andy; everyone except for Miranda." Andy answers back with a grimace.

"Then it is quite understandable, why you are upset." Nigel gestured his hand to Andy.

"She hates me, Nigel." Andy bent over at the waist, put her elbows on the table in front of her and rested her chin in her hands.

"She doesn't hate you." _Trust me_.

"It freaking seems like it." Andy let out an exasperated sigh. "Nigel, can I trust you with some personal info?" Andy had a worried look on her face as she lowered her head.

"Who on earth am I going to spill the beans to?" He tilted his head gave her a sarcastic look over the tops of his glasses.

"Right, stupid question." Andy started to fidget and play with her hair. "I think I've got a crush on Miranda…"

Nigel's eyes lit up. If now wasn't the time to go ahead with his plan, there wasn't going to be another.

"Andy, follow me." As he said this, he put all his utensils down and hopped off his seat.

"Why?" Andy stood straight up and braced herself for whatever surprise Nigel was about to throw at her.

"Just trust me." The mischievous man hooked his arm around the younger woman's and gave her a sly smile…

~~*~~*~~*~~

The next morning as Miranda walked into her office and saw Andy was in her office in a new outfit. "_That was obviously picked out by Nigel. I will certainly have a little chat with him soon._" Miranda walked in talking on the phone, but when she saw those shapely legs, thin waist, and shimmering eyes looking back at hers, her breath caught in her throat.

It was most definitely attraction she had felt that first day only now exemplified by this new look.

"_This can not be happening_." Miranda thought as she looked back and watched Andy's backside swish from side to side.

The days went by and there was the occasional slip up, to which Miranda was both peeved and highly amused with and, apparently, there were moments where Andrea had succeeded, to which Miranda was, again, both peeved and highly amused with. So Andrea got to stay. As it had turned out, the editor grew to need Andy, whether she knew it or not.

Miranda had no idea what she was thinking when she told Emily to give Andy the key to her townhouse. She was intrigued as why she was acting this way just as much as she was afraid of it. Whatever it was that made her think like this, she wasn't exactly going to stop it.

"Andrea, I'm going to give you something that you better guard your fucking life with." Emily was stalking over to Andy's desk with her left eyebrow raised as high as it would go and her hands behind her back.

"Um, ok?" For the second time in three days, Andy straitened up bracing herself for a surprise. The one from Nigel was good, but a surprise from Emily may not be.

"She wants _you_ to deliver the book from now on. Here is the key to her townhouse. Do not lose it and don't you _dare_ make a copy." Emily leaned in to get face to face to the stunned Andy and dangled the key in between them. Andy took the key meekly from Emily and held it next to her.

As Emily rambled off the things Andy should and shouldn't do, the still in shock second assistant tightened her grip around the key. _Oh my god, I'm going to be in her house. Do _not_ screw this up, Andy._

~~*~~*~~*~~

After a few weeks of delivering the book, Andy had some uncharacteristic nerve come over her to deliver the book directly to Miranda tonight. She walked down the carpeted hallway and entered the study and stopping so suddenly she almost lost her balance. From what she could see through the haze of shock, Miranda sitting on the couch, her legs pulled up to her chest, arms wrapped around them and her chin resting on her knees. She had no make-up on and it was clear that she was upset.

"Miranda, what's wrong?" Andy said, voice shaking.

Miranda's head shot up and eyes darted towards the intruder.

"Nothing, Andrea." The older woman said coldly, but there was still a touch of warmth that made Andy shiver. She put her legs down, crossed them and then proceeded to wipe away whatever remains of her emotions she could.

"Yes, there is something." Andy sat the book on the nearest table, walked over to Miranda's feet and squatted in front of her. "What is it?" She asked searching the blue eyes and placing her hands on top of the older woman's.

"I don't expect you to understand." She pursed her lips and looked away from Andy to the ever growing fascination of the floor.

"I've learned a long time ago to surpass your expectations." Andy confidently noted as she moved her head to find Miranda's gaze again.

She looked back at the warm brown eyes, gave a small smile and nodded. "That is true. Wait here." She rose from her place on the couch and briskly, yet gracefully, walked from the room leaving a slightly confused Andy still in her squatting position in the study.

The older woman returned with two classes of wine, hers already a quarter of the way emptied. Tell tale traces of red liquid revealed she had drunk some on the trip back.

"Sit." Miranda commanded.

"Huh?"

Miranda sighed. "If I'm going to share with you the intimacies of my past, I'd rather not stand the whole time." Endearing blue eyes rolled skyward.

They both sat on the cream couch placed in the back of the room, placing the glasses on the pale blue coffee table situated in front of them and sat comfortably to where they were facing each other; both parties steeling themselves for the following conversation.

"Andrea, this is a very hard subject for me to discuss, I'm sure you can understand that much. Nevertheless, this memory has been driving a wedge, so to speak, between you and me."

"What wedge?"

"An invisible one to your eyes," Miranda briefly paused and angled her head downward. "But a very large one to mine."

Andy couldn't think of anything to say, so she just sat in silence waiting for Miranda to continue.

With a heavy sigh, Miranda began her story.

"I moved to New York shortly after graduating from high school to pursue my now famous career. While I was there, my habit of being indifferent started and it's where I took up the Catholic faith…" Miranda seemed to drift off at the last confession and stare into space. Andy followed Miranda's gaze to an empty wall and when she turned back to the owner of the gaze, she saw a faint shimmer of moist building on the rims of her eyes.

Miranda realized she had been staring and that her eyes had begun to betray her, and as if by instinct, eyes began to dance around the room herding traitors back in.

Miranda took another big swig of her wine and waited a few moments before speaking again. "I met someone while I was there; a certain brunette beauty that stole my heart. We were roommates and after a while, our friendship grew into something more; we fell in love. For nearly 3 years we dated and, my god, those were some of the best times of my life." Miranda stopped to let out a small laugh. "We were so compatible; we both worked hard, loved fashion, found time for work and play, and both understood the importance of it all. Believe it or not, Andrea, I was not always the 'Ice Queen' I am today. Certain…" She takes a deep breath. "_events_ arose that needed to be dealt with in that manner. I guess I still put up that charade to keep the emotions in check." At the end, Miranda gave an airy chuckle and sniffed, still engrossed in the texture of the floor.

By now the charade she was talking about, was diminishing layer by layer. Eyes began to become red around the rims again, nose started to run and lips started to quiver. Andy still sat in front of Miranda ready to be the comforting person in case the fragility of the editor grew far too much and she needed her to catch the pieces. With proof of the wall beginning to crumble, Andy moved closer, but still gave her plenty of room in case she decided to ditch this confession and run.

"I had a college lesbian fling and I really put my heart and soul into it. When my friends and family found out, they abandoned me. Charlotte became my life, along with fashion and publication, of course. But that _event_ I talked about, well, never mind about that." She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. "I swore to myself to never fall in love with another woman. My heart would always belong to Char. So I became Catholic and tried very hard to thrive in hetero marriages, but it never worked out just right. Until…" _I met you and started to fall in love again._

At this confession to herself, ice blue eyes began to melt and the tears began to flow.

The younger woman was hanging onto every word Miranda said. She was just about to ask what followed "until", when the twins came strutting into the study and both stopped and stared at Andy sitting next to their mom. They looked at each other and then back at their mother.

"Mom." The daring Caroline beckoned.

Miranda blinked several times, wiped away the tears and turned around to look at her daughters. "Yes, Bobbsies? Why are you up?"

The girls started to walk towards her mother and stood in front of her. "We couldn't sleep." Both twins said in unison and began to climb up on the couch to sit on either side of their mother.

At this opportunity, Andy awkwardly stood and went to leave. With a quick glance at Miranda and a friendly smile, Andy was out the door.

It wasn't until she was at the front door did she realize she had left her clutch purse in the study. So, hesitantly, she stalked back to the study. Stopping short of the entrance, she couldn't believe her ears. She was hearing Miranda…singing.

_Hush little babies let's not converse,_

_Momma's gonna buy you a Prada purse._

_And if that Prada purse don't shine,_

_Momma's gonna buy you the whole Spring Line._

_And when that Spring Line does expire,_

_Momma's gonna make Runway rehire._

Miranda finished the custom lullaby with a smirk and her twins giggled and yawned. They laid their red heads on the shoulders of the woman they loved so much and started to drift to sleep. Miranda put her arms around the girls, let out a content sigh and kissed the top of each head.

Andy was standing by the door the whole time listening to the soothing voice of Miranda. Not just soothing, but angelic. No, not even the angels could sing like Miranda. The tone of tenderness so rarely heard was the most beautiful sound that could ever grace mortal ears.

Andy completely forgot about her purse and just stood in the doorway, musing over the silence in the room while the remarkable voice repeated in her mind.

There wasn't anything important in her purse anyways because she always kept her key to her apartment in her bra when walking the streets of New York at night. So she would simply retrieve it tomorrow night when she dropped off the book.

~~*~~*~~*~~

Andy walked into the lobby the next morning and found her purse lying on her desk when and found an Emily sporting a 'Cheshire Cat' smile from behind her desk.

"Why are you in such a good mood, Em?" _I'll have to remember to thank Miranda for bringing my purse here._

"Oh, no particular reason. By the way, you're no longer delivering the book." Emily smiled deviously again and turned back to her computer.

All the blood fell from Andy's face and her heart sank to her stomach. _What did I do? Did she know I was standing outside the doorway last night? Oh my god. Stupid, Andy, stupid! Shoot, she's going to fire me._

For the rest of that day, her stomach was churning, making her very nauseous and wanting badly to go home.

But for days after that, Miranda never said a word about what they had talked about in her study, and obviously she trusted Andy not to tell anyone because she hadn't been fired or blacklisted yet. So Andy must still be around for some reason, right?

~~*~~*~~*~~

Every morning since she returned Emily to delivering the book, Miranda would walk by that infamous desk flanking the right side of her office and make a notable effort to not even glance in that direction. If at all possible, she wouldn't look up at _her_ when she called for an errand to be run.

Some days were harder to ignore her than others.

"M-Miranda?" Andy meekly called out for Miranda.

The sweet voice that drifted through the air sent a jolt through Miranda's sex and forced her to take a short breath.

"Um, do you want me to get your coat?" Andy gestured for the coat, inadvertently making her bosoms shake.

Miranda stood unmoving in place for a moment staring at perfect breasts until the weight on her arm made her realize what she was doing and what she had forgotten. She was still holding on to her fur coat and halfway to her desk.

Without a single word, she walked back to Andy's desk and tossed it at her. Then she quickly returned to her office and made a beeline for her private bathroom. She had to rid herself of the moisture that came on command at the sound of Andy's voice.

Once she had finished with the task, she sat in the floor of her bathroom. Miranda had a very hard time accepting she was falling for Andy because she had made that vow to herself and now she felt like she was breaking it, but in no way could she compel herself to get Andy out of her life. It was almost like some kind of invisible force was keeping her from doing so.

The next morning, a Saturday, Andy found a small envelope beside her keyboard when she pulled it out. The elegantly elaborate decorum on the front let her know who it was from for she had seen these envelopes many times before. She opened it and out fell a key. The note on the inside read:

_Come to my townhouse tonight at 7._

_I'll try to explain my behavior._

_M__._

Andy's head felt as if it were swirling into a black hole. Emily's words rang through her head, _"She never explains anything!"_ and yet here is the lowly second assistant getting a secret note from the dragon lady herself, saying she's going to explain her behavior along with a _copy of the key to her townhouse_. _Wow._

~~*~~*~~*~~

Andy got off work around six that evening and rushed home to get ready to go to Miranda's.

She quickly took a shower and, for far too long, she stood in front of her closet in just a towel debating over what to wear. So she decided to call Doug, her long time friend and follower of Miranda.

"Doug! I seriously need your help here. Miranda invited me to her house tonight and I have no idea what the hell to wear. This is far different than just dropping off the Book. This visit is exactly that; a visit. And not just any visit mind you, a personal, invited visit from Miranda herself." Andy was in a total frenzy by now and spoke almost too fast for Doug to understand her.

"Ok, Andy, just calm down. You say you got an invitation to Miranda's house?"

"Yes! This is like the biggest thing of my life and I simply can _not_…" Andy threw her empty hand in the air.

"Andy, seriously, take a chill pill girl. This is Miranda; she can smell fear."

"You have no idea how true that is…But Doug, you haven't seen this woman in action. Yes, she's intimidating from afar, but when you're as close to the woman as I am, sh-she's exquisitely beautiful and oh, so damn sexy… " Andy rolled her eyes heavenward, closed them and placed her hand over her chest. "Especially when she wears navy blue. I swear to god that is the best color she could wear and the way the woman walks, my heart skips a beat then makes up for it in double time. Doug, I-I'm in love with my boss. I'm in love with _Miranda_." At this confession to her friend, she walks backwards to her bed and falls back on it.

"Oh my god, Andy. Wow. Does she feel the same way? Or have any feelings like that towards you?"

"I don't know if it's love, per say, but she must have some kind of feelings right? I mean, I'm still there."

"True. So we've got to get this right. I'm guessing this is going to be a casual affair, correct?"

Andy blushed at the word he had chosen. "Well, I guess so. I've got a couple of pieces Nigel gave me from the Closet, but I'm just not sure which one to wear."

"Well, I'm sure you've got a sense of what Miranda likes by now, so go with your first instinct."

"Ok, I can do that." Andy shakes her head once firmly. "I'll just take some Valium, too, before I go or something…"

"Haha, there ya go! That should make things a bit interesting."

"Yea, thanks Dougie."

"No problem, Andy. Go get 'er tiger."

With a smile and butterflies in her stomach, Andy hangs up the phone and starts to get ready.

~~*~~*~~*~~

Andy opened her door to find a grey Mercedes outside her apartment. Apparently Miranda had sent Roy to pick her up. How generous.

Andy stepped down the stairs to the awaiting car.

Without a word, Roy walked around and opened the door. Andy could tell this might be a quite ride over to the townhouse; and perhaps Miranda had 'desired' it to be that way.

As they approached the destination, the butterflies came back and seemed to multiply by the thousands as she took every step. By the time she had reached the door, it felt as if millions of colonies of butterflies lived in her stomach.

With quite a lot of bravery, Andy slipped the key into the door and swung it wide open. Stepping inside, she could smell the lovely aroma of jasmine and gardenia intoxicating the butterflies into slumber.

Andy shut the door and turned to the closet to put up her coat, but as she slid it off, the surprisingly gentle voice of the editor rang out.

"Andrea, come to the study…please."

The butterflies sprang back into action and migrated to her head. The room began to spin a little and she swayed where she stood. It took a few moments for her to regain composure and walk to the study.

She entered the study found Miranda sitting on a loveseat with the Book in her lap.

"You can lay your jacket on that chair if you wish." The editor gestured towards a cherry wood swivel rocker next to the loveseat.

The nervous assistant did as instructed and then stood awkwardly in place, twiddling her thumbs.

"You may sit wherever you like; you are a guest you know." Miranda rolled her eyes and licked her middle finger to turn the page of the Book.

Nigel's words rang through her head: "_She will play hard to get. You must make the first move if you want anything to happen._"

Andy bent to her knees in front of Miranda. Blood rushed to her sex as it reacted to the scent of Miranda.

Andy reached out, took the Book out of the editor's lap and placed it on the side table. She turned back to cup the older woman's cheek.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Blue eyes squinted as pupils widened.

"I'm not entirely sure, but can I try something?" Espresso brown eyes caught the stare of sensual deep blue ones.

Neither one of them spoke as the heat of the hand threatened to burn the cheek beneath it. Miranda's eyelids fluttered and she refocused back to the scene. "Fine, if you must."

"Oh, Nigel was right. You do play hard to get." Andy whispered, but Miranda caught it.

"_Nigel_? That irritating little…" But before Miranda could even begin her furious rant about Nigel, Andy kissed her.

Andy was the one to break the kiss and pull back. With eyes still closed, Miranda followed the lips wanting more. The editor opened her eyes to see a flushed woman in front of her. They leaned back into each other for another kiss and soon, both mouths were struggling for power and tongues danced inside opposing mouths.

"Door. Shut. Door." Miranda said quickly, and almost incoherently, once she had enough breath.

Andy walked back and once again went to her knees in front of the increasingly bothered editor. Miranda bent at the waist and captured Andy's lips in another passionate kiss. Then, Miranda grabbed the younger woman's face and whispered in her ear, "In the floor" and teasingly licked said ear.

Her voice was so sensual it made shivers go down Andy's spine and before either of them realized it, they were rolling across the floor of the study, both wrestling for top position.

Andy was first on top, holding herself above Miranda and straddling her. She shook her hair to the right side and leaned down to the ear of the woman below her. "Are you wet for me?" Andy kissed the woman below her, reached a hand down and traced Miranda's outer thigh. The hand maneuvered to the inside of her thigh and up to the damp apex of the thighs of the hot and bothered editor and her hand grasped her naked mound; two fingers sinking slightly into the folds that lay swollen under them. Miranda took in a quick breath, mouth still on the younger woman's. She tasted her breath. Her sex throbbed harder.

Miranda rolled Andy on her back and began to kiss a trail from her jaw line to her breast bone. Miranda lay between Andy's legs. Arms wrapped around Miranda's neck, Andy began to take in short breaths. Kisses left hot trails on her skin. Hands began to caress the arms of the editor above her and made a trail of their own to the buttons of the white blouse. The hands found a prize under white cloth and began to meticulously touch every aspect of them. The soft tissue, the hard pebbled nipples, and the sheer mass that was warm to the touch.

Andy pulled Miranda on top of her and rolled over to where she would become the woman on top. She opened Miranda's shirt and began to kiss the collar bones down to the perfectly toned porcelain stomach and down to the editor's hips. Rising up a little, she reached under Miranda's back and unhooked her bra releasing the perky breasts and began to gently massage them again. She slowly slid off Miranda's torso and sat up on her knees.

"Wh-what are you d-doing?" Miranda uncharacteristically stuttered due to the amount of passion and lust pulsing through her.

"You'll see…" Andy said with a smirk.

Andy slid both hands on the outsides of Miranda's thighs, determined hands making a journey for her hips bringing her skirt with them. Upon revealing the nakedness under the skirt, Andy realized something.

"Miranda, you're…I mean, you…" Andy stuttered in surprise.

"Yes, I get waxed; Brazilian every time." Miranda said through pants of breath. Secretly glad she had done this yesterday.

"Mmm…" Andy hummed as her head leaned in towards Miranda's sex, mouth wide and tongue out.

_No, oh my god, yes._

Miranda's head fell back to the floor with a thud.

"Miranda, are you…" Andy had begun to ask in fear the other woman had hurt her head.

"I'm fine! Don't st-stop!" Miranda shook her head, keeping her eyes tightly shut and messing up her hair.

Andy dived back in and began to lick teasingly at Miranda's clit.

_This can't be happening. This can _not_ be happening. Jus-just think of Runway._ This worked for a full 2 seconds before the thrusting of Andy's tongue pulled her away from her thoughts and back into a pleasantly erotic reality.

"Oh, _god_!" Miranda yelped out followed by her mouth freezing in a silent scream of pleasure.

Andy chuckled; tongue still in action.

Miranda's hands were soon grabbing the brown hair below her while hips moved in rhythm with the warm, wet meat inside her.

Andy rose up on her knees, spread her own legs and moved closer to the editor to where she could place those lovely toned legs on top of her own, and traced the outside of Miranda's center with her fingers while caressing a thigh.

The older woman let out a small moan and jerked her hips at the touch; the heat radiating off of her like steam. Andy then plunged two fingers into the warm center and instantly muscles clenched around them. Both hearts beat faster.

All too soon, by the powers of Andy's fingers, Miranda's back arched as her clit throbbed and the muscles inside her began to convulse. As she climaxed, loud deep moans escaped the editor's mouth and with one final high pitched squeal, a wonderful stickiness poured from either side of the young woman's fingers.

"That was quite enjoyable. I loved that squeal you made." Andy said with a big grin and leaned down, holding herself above the editor with one hand and the other still inside her manipulating circles.

"Out. Now." Miranda had her eyes closed, quivering lips pursed around both words that held multiple meanings. She was still lying on her back trying to pull her skirt back down.

"Wh-what?" Andy's grin turned in to a very confused, scrunched up look and she sat straight up on her heels.

"I said _out_!" Miranda yelled, eyes flaring open.

Andy, never hearing Miranda raise her voice like that ever, quickly and clumsily stood to her feet, picked up her belongings and ran from the room. Not bothering to put any of them back on until she was outside of the townhouse where it was too cold to stand with no shoes or a jacket for long. She put these things back on, slipped her purse string over her shoulder and started to walk home. The cold air would do her some good right about now.

~~*~~*~~*~~

Miranda woke up early that Sunday morning with a heavy heart. One might call this feeling _dread_, and that's exactly what Miranda _would_ call it if she recognized this as a _feeling_ at all. It was more of a numb sense of unwillingness; which Miranda could live with, since it didn't have as big of a reputation of being called _weak_. It wasn't so much that Miranda was unwilling to go to mass this morning, but what she had to do after that. She would just skip mass completely so she wouldn't have to sit for what would feel like_ hours_ with this _unwillingness_ growing stronger and stronger, but for the sake of religious stability for the twins and not veering off the paved path, they will go to mass.

After her shower, Miranda went down for breakfast. The twins were already down and greeted their mother with warm faces and smiles full of Maple flavored oatmeal.

Those loving faces warmed her heart and made it stop at the same time.

Miranda walked into that infamous study, over to her desk and bent over to open her drawer and pulled out her Rosary. She called Roy and simply said "Saint Patrick's in 15" which gave her and the girls 15 minutes to get out the door. She was ready and the girls were just about to finish their breakfast.

Miranda began to get anxious as she paced the corridor waiting for the twins' to finish their breakfast. She heard bowls and spoons knocking against each other in the sink and then two sets of thundering steps make their way from the kitchen.

"Ok, mom, we're ready!" Both twins skidded to a stop in front of their mother.

"Not quite. Go to the small washroom at the end of the hall and brush your teeth. Nobody likes oatmeal breath; even if it is Maple." Miranda gave them a slight glare accompanied by a smirk.

"Alright, mom." Dragging out both words, the twins begrudgingly turn around and walked to the hall washroom.

~~*~~*~~*~~

After mass, Roy always picks up the Priestly women, drops off the twins at school, and then drives Miranda to Runway, but this time was different. Not to alarm the girls, Miranda rode with them to their school, but then instructed Roy to drive her back to the church. Roy silently obliged even though in his head were many questions that would never be answered.

They pulled up to the church as the bells began to toll. Her heart was racing by the time she exited the car and was walking into the church.

Her hands tightly clasped around the rosary around her neck. She didn't think what she had done was right, but how could it ever be wrong?

She slowly walked in the church and sat at the back. She was sitting alone on the bench thinking of _her_; Charlotte. The one she had truly loved. As she sat there waiting for the confessionals to open, her mind couldn't help but race back to those younger days when she was in love, when everything was going right; and then, no matter how much Miranda fought the memory away, the memory of that fateful day reared it's ugly head.

~On this seemingly beautiful day, she and her lover were taking a walk on the sidewalk of the park, the birds were singing in the new spring time melody, the clouds were floating in the mid-afternoon sky, and it was relatively warm for the first day of March. ~

If anyone had been sitting beside Miranda and was listening closely, they would have heard her say "I told her to stay close to me…"

~But no, she had to run ahead of her and fool around; running backwards and making funny faces to her amused lover. Simply being the witty woman Miranda loved, until she saw the drunk driver speeding past the stop light and barreling towards her. For an instant, Miranda saw the fleeting expression of fear float across that face, and then…nothing.

Miranda had begun to silently weep for her beloved and hadn't realized she could go in. She slowly rose from her seat and stepped into the confessional.~

~~*~~*~~*~~

The next day, late on a Monday evening, Miranda called Andy into her office.

Hesitantly, she took labored steps to the editor's door. But she didn't even have to enter the office because as she turned the corner of her desk, a flash of blue material glided by her and stopped at the glass doors to be donned with a white blazer.

"Come along, Andrea."

As they made their way to the waiting car, Miranda's pace grew faster.

When both women were in the car, the privacy screen rose and the car jolted into motion.

Andy couldn't believe the next words that came from Miranda's lips. The older woman was looking out the window while talking and Andy couldn't help but stare.

"I've tried very hard to be a good Catholic, to suppress my urges for you, and you're ruining all that by coming into my house and parading yourself around like some…_slut_." Miranda said with such a tone of voice, that the devil himself would have cringed.

Andy should have.

"_Excuse me_?" Andy enunciated with confusion and agitation. "You're not making any sense, Miranda, and quite frankly, you're pissing me off. May I remind you, that you're the one that invited me to your house to begin with?" Andy probably would have been too much of a coward to tell Miranda off like this at any other time, but now it seemed appropriate and she found some way to over come that.

This sudden temper from Andy caught Miranda by surprise. Her head whipped around and cold eyes came in contact with just as cold brown ones. Her eyebrows raised, but never once did her eyes leave Andy's.

"Yes, I did." Ice eyes burrowing into brown eyes. "Don't expect that to happen again."

All Andy could do was sit there dumbfounded. "Miranda, I-I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." Andy shook her head and looked into the eyes of the dragon; her eyes had a true apology written in them.

"Neither do I." Miranda averted her gaze back to the window and pursed her lips, but not in anger this time. _Miranda, don't you dare start getting emotional now; _especially_ not with _her_ in the car. Deep breaths…Pull it all back in…_

Once at the townhouse, Miranda didn't even wait for Roy to open her door. She forced it open with the force of a hurricane and slammed it shut with the same ferocity. It took all she had not to run to her door and just break it down and worry about the pieces later, but she calmly, if not rather briskly, trotted to her door and as she was turning the key, she felt someone was standing behind her. She ignored the feeling and walked in the house. Leaving her shawl where it fell, she kicked off her shoes and this time, she did run. She ran up the stairs to her bedroom.

Not feeling that presence behind her anymore, she undressed, slipped into a silk gown, and flew into the bed and under the covers. The tears she had pushed down in the car came with a rush, marring the beautiful eyes of the editor. Her face was away from the door and the feeling of something or someone near her reappeared. She looked behind her and there was Andy, standing in the hallway looking into her bedroom. The light from the hallway was shining directly onto her face and Miranda saw that there, too, were tears streaming down perfect rosy cheeks.

All of a sudden, sheets were flying everywhere. Miranda was stumbling to the bathroom and as she entered, stubbed her toe on the doorframe.

"Shit!" Miranda yelled through gritted teeth.

"Miranda! Are you alright?" Andy tripped over herself trying to get to Miranda who was now on the floor.

"Does it look like I'm alright? I'm sprawled half-naked on my bathroom floor, my hair is a mess, make-up and tears streaming down my face, and I might have possibly broken my toe! I'm fucking fabulous, Andrea!" Miranda flung her arms in the air and then came to rest her elbows on her thighs and placed her face in her palms.

Andy kneels down and sits on her feet, takes Miranda's wrists and moves them away from the older woman's face and looks her directly in the eyes.

"You are fabulous, you know that? Even when you're lying half-naked on your floor; even when your hair is a mess and so is your make-up…" Andy looks down to Miranda's toe and then looks back at Miranda with a sympathetic look. "And even when there's a chance you've broken your toe, you're still fabulous to me."

"Normally I would think that was too cheesy, even for you, but I guess this time it worked. I do feel a little better." Miranda shyly speaks and looks at Andy. The younger woman gently tucked a lock of white hair behind an ear. "I've got all this power, fame, fortune, but I have been so miserable; so absorbed with my own pain. Yes, I've got the girls and they mean everything to me, but I don't really have any friends I can just talk with. And then you just trot into my life and became the person I could talk to; my friend. Thank you, Andrea." Miranda reached out a hand and Andy took it intending to help her up, but Miranda took the young woman's hand and gently kissed the back of it. They looked into each others eyes with understanding and both rose to stand in the doorway of the bathroom. In an instant, they were wrapped around each other, kissing and panting all the way to the bed.

~~*~~*~~*~~

Miranda awoke the next morning in a haze. She looked over to her left, and saw a splash of brown on the pillow. She turned her head back to the ceiling. _I've learned one tends to find their destiny while on the road they took to avoid it. _She looked over at the rosary hanging around a crucifix statue, then back at the ceiling. _And now here I am, in bed with my destiny when I was on that road for 30 years. _She closed her eyes and smiled. _It's about damn time._


End file.
